Fair fun starts Thursday

The Curry County Fair opens in Gold Beach at 10 a.m. Thursday and continues daily through Sunday. It features carnival rides, exciting shows, 4-H competitions, demonstrations, displays, contests and plenty of corn dogs and cotton candy.

Admission is $7 for adults, $2 for children age 6 to 12, and free for children younger than six. Seniors are $5. Four-day passes are available for $20.

Thursday is Senior Day with a senior ticket price of $3. Friday is Kids Day with free admission for children 12 and younger. Sunday is Family Day with a $15 admission for families (up to two adults and three children).

Longtime Fair Manager Ron Crook said this year’s fair is one of the most action-packed fairs ever.

Highlights of the fair include:

Lucky 7 Bulls & Barrels

Thursday, 8 p.m.

Riding some of the wildest bulls in the Pacific Northwest Rodeo, professional riders strap themselves down and try to stay on for eight seconds.

The action will happen in the fair arena, which features free seating with paid admission to the fair. Preferred seating is available for $3.

Motor Sports

Three action-packed, crowd-pleasing events are scheduled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

•Friday, 7 p.m.

The Hill-Billy Relay is a timed event competition pitting five-member teams against one another, all vying for a $1,000 cash purse. The teams must change a tire, race a truck, slice through a log using a chain saw, toss a keg and set a choker on the logs.

• Saturday, 6 p.m.

Tuff Trucks (Josh Amos Memorial Event) features big trucks negotiating obstacles designed to slow the drivers down or defeat them altogether.

Buried tires, super bumps and high dirt ramps are some of the challenges. Cash prizes await those lucky enough to be the first to reach the finish line.

Joe Krathwohl is “The Birdman.” He brings several winged wonders to the stage including cranes, pelicans, cockatoos, owls, parrots, eagles, and the star of the show: a condor with a wing span of 10 feet.

The birds take to the air and soar during the free-flight show, one of the largest in the nation.

BMX Freestyle Team

Three shows daily.

Robert Castillo has put together what he claims to be “some of the best action sports athletes in the world!”

The stunt bicyclists will perform two-wheel acrobatics using ramps and jumps.

Street Drum Corps

Three shows daily on Friday and Saturday only.

“We take a lot of theatrics from groups like Motley Crue, Jane’s Addiction, Blue Man Group, and Stomp,” said Bobby Alt, a member of this edgy high-energy drum group.

The Los Angeles-based Street Drum Corps uses a variety of non-traditional percussion such as buckets, kitchenware, recycled garbage cans, and marching band equipment. They blend music, showmanship and theater into a musical blast that promises to blow people away.

The Magic, Magic Show

Three shows daily on Thursday and Friday only.

Brian Ledbetter is “The Wizard of Laughter.” That’s because he and his sidekick “Birdbrain” entertain while doing some incredible magic tricks that defy explanation.

Ledbetter promises to turn children into rabbits, cavort with a frozen ghost, make a real human head shrink before the audience’s eyes and levitate lucky volunteers.

Carnival rides

The carnival, provided by Paul Maurer Shows, will feature a variety of rides for young and old. Armbands will be available every day for $27 each. However, armbands can be purchased in advance today (July 24) for $20 each. The discounted armbands are available in Brookings at Ray’s Food Place, Chetco Pharmacy and Gifts, and Wright’s Custom Framing and Art Supply. The armbands can be purchased in Gold Beach at the fair office and McKay’s Market and Corner Drug Store.

Once the fair starts, individual carnival tickets are $1 each, or $20 for a pack of 24 tickets. It takes two to four tickets to ride each ride.

Other highlights

•Stout Mountain Railway will have a grand display of trains running every day inside Artisan Hall where artists will be at work on paintings, quick-draw portraits, and weaving.

•An observation hive of honeybees will be on display the entire time that the display buildings are open, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., except on Sunday, when the fair closes at 5 p.m.

•A parade is Saturday, starting at 11 a.m., southbound to the fairground on Highway 101. The Southern Oregon Scottish Pipe Band will be in the parade and performing afterward at the covered stage.

•Local competition events include the Battle of the Bands Thursday evening, a talent show on Saturday afternoon, and an Ugly Dog contest, along with the Diaper Derby and Beautiful Baby contests, on Sunday.

The fair opens at 10 a.m. Thursday through Sunday. It closes at 10 p.m. every night except Sunday, when the fair concludes at 5 p.m.